Miqati Requested from Bellemare Delay in Announcing Hamadeh, Murr Indictments

Prime Minister Najib Miqati had requested from Special Tribunal for Lebanon Prosecutor Judge Daniel Bellemare that he delay the release of the indictment in the assassination attempts of former ministers Marwan Hamadeh and Elias al-Murr, reported al-Joumhouria newspaper on Saturday.

He hoped that the indictment would be revealed after Lebanon approves the renewal of its cooperation protocol with the STL.

There are fears that the protocol would not be renewed over Hizbullah’s refusal to cooperate with the tribunal.

For his part, Bellemare reportedly told the premier that he could not link the investigation to political matters, adding that once he has an indictment, he will be obligated to release it.

He therefore declined the Miqati’s request.

The prosecutor noted however that Pre-Trial Judge Daniel Fransen has the authority to choose to publish the indictment at the time he deems appropriate.

Bellemare had arrived in Lebanon on Tuesday on a farewell tour of Lebanese officials to mark the end of his tenure as prosecutor.

He had held talks on Friday with Interior Minister Marwan Charbel, Internal Security Forces chief Ashraf Rifi, and General Security head Abbas Ibrahim.

He revealed throughout his talks in Lebanon that he had formed a “very strong” case in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, one which he will be proud of for the rest of his life, reported the daily An Nahar on Saturday.

He had informed Charbel of the tribunal’s insistence to pursue the investigation until the very end, adding that there can be no backing down from investigating the crimes that had taken place in Lebanon since 2004.

As Safir newspaper meanwhile reported on Saturday that Bellemare will leave his post in March.

His successor has not yet been revealed.

The STL announced in December that Bellemare has informed U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon that, for health reasons, he does not intend to seek reappointment for a second term as prosecutor at the end February.

As Safir said that he had emphasized during his talks with various Lebanese officials the need to disregard the accusations that the STL is politicized.

He explained that the attack against the tribunal is a sign that it is moving on the right track.

He revealed that the next indictment to be released by the STL would concern the assassination attempts against Murr and Hamadeh and the assassination of former Lebanese Communist Party leader George Hawi.

Bellemare did not rule out the possibility that the accused in his first indictment concerning Hariri’s assassination would be linked to these three crimes.

On Friday, the prosecutor, accompanied by his team, visited the office of State Prosecutor Saeed Mirza where he met with Hamadeh, journalist May Chidiac, and Suzy Madayan, Hawi’s widow.

Last week, the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat published a report saying that Fransen has made a progress in preparing the indictments in the Hamadeh, Murr, and Hawi cases.

According to the report, Bellemare has referred to Fransen his probe into the three cases and that the pre-trial judge is preparing the indictments pending their release.

The court has already indicted four Hizbullah members in Hariri’s February 2005 assassination. But Lebanese authorities have so far failed to arrest them.

Ministerial sources told As Safir that the prosecutor was keen not to discuss key issues with Lebanese officials during a three-day farewell visit before the end of his mandate at the end of February.

Bellemare expressed his gratitude to Lebanon, the sources said.

He also discussed the stages of his work with the STL as the head of U.N. International Independent Investigation Commission (UNIIIC) to his appointment as the STL’s prosecutor and the release of the indictment in Hariri’s assassination.